CODE OF CONDUCT

DEFINITION(S)

  1. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the corporation running the convention, Capital Furries, Inc. is to be considered synonymous with “Capital Fur Con” AND “CFC” in this document.

  2. “Hotel Space” is defined as any area within any partnering hotel.

  3. “Convention Space” is defined as the specific area in the host hotel(s) which is rented and being directly supervised by convention staff.

  4. “Convention Staff” are the volunteer staff whose goal is to help run the con while providing safety and assistance to attendees. They are identifiable by a unique badge and uniform. Senior staff members will resolve disputes or questionable events and their decision will be final.

SECTION 1 – THE OVERARCHING RULE(s)

  1. Capital Fur Con reserves the right to revoke membership of any attendee at any time if they cause significant interference with convention operations, harass/bother/discomfort other attendees, damage the venue itself or its relationship with the convention, negatively affects the convention’s ties to the community, or does harm to the public.

  1. Capital Fur Con reserves the following rights:

    A. To apply the above rule 1 to other instances not explicitly stated above.

    B. To revoke registrations at any time, for any reason, including (but not limited to) the failure to abide by the policies listed here.

  2. The host hotel space rules and authority supersedes any Convention rules. While in the convention space, you are expected to follow all hotel guidelines in addition to our guidelines. If you are in any area outside of the convention space, for example the township of the National Harbor, or within partnering hotel space, you are expected to follow their rules.

SECTION 2 – CONVENTION RATING

  1. Capital Fur Con is a 21+ convention, however several non-attendee guests at the various hotels in the area will likely be under the age of 21. We ask that any adult conduct, including public displays of affection, be kept to private company, such as room parties

SECTION 3 – CLOTHING & PERSONAL APPEARANCE RULES

  1. In the event of another pandemic, personal protective equipment, such as masks, must be worn as required by participating hotels in hotel spaces, including the convention space if required by the host hotel(s).

  2. Shirts, pants, shorts, skirts and footwear must be worn in all areas of the convention space  at all times. Full-body fursuits and other suit types will fulfill this category. Fursuiters must respect hotel space policies with regards to where they may wear their suits. For example, they cannot take their suits into the hotel space pools.

  3. Fetish vs. Cosplay – Attendees may not wear clothing or accessories which are overly revealing, inappropriate to the atmosphere, depicting explicit sexual acts/intent or likely to draw reasonable complaint or offense, with some exceptions:

    Latex Clothing – Articles of latex clothing, such as stockings, gloves and dresses are allowed at any point of the convention provided they are being used for cosplay purposes, for example a maid outfit. Please be considerate of latex clothing that requires the use of lubricants and other guests who might have a latex allergy. Outfits that might be considered more adult oriented may be worn after 9PM on convention days as long as they are in compliance with rule 2 of this section.
    Leather, Hoods and Harnesses – Any type of leather or subsection of fetish wear that is immediately identifiable as primarily fetish in nature may be worn after 9PM as long as you are in compliance with rule 2 of this section.

    Leashes and Collars – For the safety of staff, attendees and other hotel guests, leashes are forbidden in the convention and hotel spaces.

    The Room Gathering Rule – Rooms are considered to be private areas where guests can wear apparel and perform recreational activities as they please within hotel space rules. We kindly ask that materials that would violate any of our conduct clothing rules be kept in containers or suitcases when being transported to gatherings and out of the public eye.

    If you are unsure about specific types of clothing, ask con staff!

    4. Tactical Clothing – Attendees may not wear any uniforms that would have them mistaken as law enforcement, military or government on active duty with some exceptions:

    Due to the location of the convention, several attendees may be working for these agencies and enjoying time off work. For that reason, regular apparel depicting logos of local government agencies is allowed as long as it is clear that you are not on active duty. This includes Federal Agencies and government departments within the states of Maryland and Virginia.

    5. Weaponry – Firearms and functional weaponry are not permitted in the convention space. In addition, cosplay that depicts fiction weaponry is not allowed. This includes airsoft, paintball, and other recreation weaponry.

    6. Non-Furry Cosplay – Is perfectly allowed! Let’s see what you’ve got!

    7. Personal Hygiene Rule - Please take steps to present yourself in proper hygiene at the convention for other attendees, convention staff, hotel guests and hotel staff. In addition, please make sure that your fursuits and clothing are also kept to good hygiene standards.

SECTION 4 – PUBLIC DECORUM

  1. No items of any type may be thrown.

  2. Projectile items, like silly string, are not allowed.

  3. The Drone Rule – If you wish to fly a drone for the purposes of video footage or photography you must have permission from both convention staff and the hotel to use them in the convention space. 

  4. Lighter than air balloons are not allowed.

  5. Hand-held glow sticks are allowed. Other types of glow sticks need to be approved by con staff.

  6. Please do not sleep in the convention space. If you need assistance returning to your room, please ask convention staff for assistance.

  7. If you are physically ill or experiencing symptoms of illness, we politely ask that you wear a mask or you may be asked to leave the convention space.

  8. Rough-housing and duels to the death are not allowed in the convention space. Jousting, despite being Maryland’s State Sport, is not allowed.

  9. The Wristband/Badge Rule  – Convention wristbands/badges (depending on what is in use for that year) must be worn at all times in the convention space after registering. You may not share or distribute copies of a badge. A badge is only valid for the person for whom it was issued. In order to receive your badge at registration, you must provide a valid form of identification.

  10. Knowingly transporting, hosting, or otherwise enabling an individual that has been barred entry from Capital Fur Con to attend or enter the convention space or host venue will result in permanent revocation of attendance from Capital Fur Con.

  11. Public music is permitted provided it is not disruptive to either the convention, hotels, attendees or other guests.

  12. Explosives, including fireworks and other derivative noise makers are not allowed.

  13. Open containers of any beverage type are not allowed at main stage events unless otherwise specified.

  14. Glass containers are not allowed under any circumstances.

SECTION 5 - ROOM GATHERINGS

  1. As a convention, CFC is striving to be the convention for quality gatherings for our attendees. We will be negotiating a gathering block for attendees looking to host events. We request that attendees do the following to maximize their experience at CFC:

    (A) For individuals intending to host a gathering in their rooms, please select the checkbox when registering as this will enter you into our system for rooms specifically within a defined block.

    (B) Open door gatherings are encouraged, but not required.

    (C) If you have registered as intending to host a gathering, you are required to host at least one gathering during the convention if you have a room in the party block.

    (D) Room gatherings outside of the gathering block will be subject to regular hotel noise regulations. Please consult with the hotel.

SECTION 6 – CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

  1. Any violation of the below in the hotel space or convention will result in immediate action ranging from a warning/ban to legal consequences with the full force of the law:

  2. Harassment – Conduct, dress, speech or stalking that targets, threatens, intimidates or causes distress to other attendees, staff, hotel guests or other members of protected classes. If you are the victim of Harassment, please contact convention staff immediately.

  3. Battery – Physical Assault, battery or unwelcome physical contact. If you are the victim of Battery, please contact convention staff immediately.

  4. Consent – Being forced or coerced into actions that you are not willingly doing by other attendees. If your consent has been violated, please contact convention staff immediately. Remember, “No” means No.

  5. Drugging – Tampering or offering materials that have been tampered with illicit substances is a federal crime and will be dealt with severely. If you are the victim of being drugged or suspect you have been drugged, please contact convention staff and law enforcement immediately.

SECTION 7 – SUBSTANCES

  1. Smoking - Smoking is allowed in designated smoking zones, but is not permitted in other sections of the convention space. This includes vaping or other forms of electronic cigarettes.

  2. Alcoholic Beverages – We request that attendees do the following:

    (A) All alcoholic beverages be brought to and contained within hotel rooms.

    (B) No alcoholic beverages be consumed in the convention space outside of pre-approved events, such as a happy hour.

    (C) Do not provide any alcohol to other hotel guests under the age of 21 who are not attending the convention.

    Any violations of the above will result in warning or revocation of attendance depending on severity.

  3. Cannabis – Cannabis use will vary depending on what the hotel and convention space allows. This will be updated once venue policy has been confirmed. It is likely that smoking Cannabis will not be allowed, but consumption of THC products will.

  4. Other Illegal Substances – Possession or distribution of these substances will result in a convention ban and immediate referral to law enforcement. Capital Fur Con does not condone or tolerate the possession, the use or the distribution of illegal substances.

  5. Public Intoxication – Sometimes some attendees party too hard. If you are publicly intoxicated or are with friends that are publicly intoxicated, please assist them or return to your hotel room. If you need medical attention, please immediately seek it out.

SECTION 8 – MEDIA RELATIONS

  1. The Convention – CFC reserves the right to record audio and video footage of the convention at any time. This audio and video footage might contain their likeness be used for the following:

    (A) Public safety notices or review.

    (B) Promotional purposes for the convention.

    (C) Data review for future conventions.

  2. Members of the Media – For individuals representing a media organization. In order to conduct interviews and record any aspect of the convention, they will require a media badge to conduct these activities in the convention space and interview attendees. Please reach out to Public Relations staff at the operations room.

    For attendees, please do not interact with media who do not have a media badge.

  3. Bloggers/Social Media Influencers – Bloggers/Social Media influencers are allowed to record themselves at the convention provided they:

    (A) Are not recording interviews with CFC staff or attendees;

    (B) Filming a documentary or B-roll footage;

    (C) Recording behavior in violation of the CoC.

    For recording material with regards to lines a and b, please reach out to convention staff to get a badge.

  4. Regarding CFC Media Usage – CFC and Capital Furry Inc. request that all usage of official convention materials receive permission for their usage from the convention staff public relations team. Any materials being used inappropriately will receive legal cease and desist notices.

SECTION 9 - SALES OF GOODS AND SERVICES

  1. The offering of sales for any goods or services at the convention may only occur in appropriate and authorized areas of the convention space at authorized times.

  2. All vendors offering goods and services must be registered as a vendor with the convention.

  3. All sales will be governed under applicable U.S. federal laws and the applicable laws of the state of Maryland.

  4. Unauthorized sales of any goods or services may result in revocation of sales and loss of vendor status.

  5. Sales of materials referencing official con merch must be approved prior by the convention marketing staff.

SECTION 10 - PAYMENT AND MONETARY POLICY

  1. Capital Fur Con accepts most major credit and debit cards.

  2. Chargebacks that are made for the purpose of avoiding payments associated with any aspect of the convention, including the venues and hotels, made without sufficient cause without first attempting to resolve the dispute may result in a ban from the convention and possible legal action.

  3. Checks presented against insufficient funds will be charged a fee of $20 per check.

  4. Attendees with an outstanding balance due to CFC must settle the balance before they will be permitted to attend any aspect of the convention.

  5. Capital Fur Con, through its host company, Capital Furries Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to Capital Fur Con are tax deductible from individual U.S. Federal income taxes.

  6. Capital Fur Con cannot involve itself in financial disputes between individual attendees and cannot divulge information about an individual attendee to any party other than banking officials or legal authorities.

  7. Refund/No Show

    (A) Capital Fur Con will only offer a refund for registration up to 60 days past the date of registration. After this point, Capital Fur Con can only offer credit to registration for the following year. Refunds after the pre-registration cutoff date are non-refundable as preparations for attendees have already begun.

    (B) If you are registered but do not show up to the convention, we will extend the courtesy to credit your registration for the following year.

    (C) In the event of a cost increase, you will be required to make up the difference if using registration credit.

    (D) We will not be able to refund Dealer’s Den and Artist Alley table reservations, but you may sell the table if you are unable to attend. Just advise the artist taking the table that the convention will be unable to update the table information on our website to reflect the change.

SECTION 11 - MISC RULES

  1. Pets and Service Animals

    (A) Pets are not allowed in the convention space.

    (B) Service animals are permitted in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

  2. Banners, posters or signs will not be permitted without permission from convention staff. If you want to put up a sticker board or some other fun sign, simply ask so convention staff can find a good sport for it!